Adjustable bed



J. R. STARK.

ADJUSTABLE BED.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 14. 19l9.

1,343,593. Patented June 15, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

Zaire/10w)- b 64 J. R. STARK.

ADJUSTABLE BED.

APPLICATION FILED um: 14, 1919.

1 ,343,593. I Patented June 15, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

unrrsn stars;

JOHN R. STARK, or nasnvinns, Tennessee, LElSIGNQR so ownns srAnK ivmnn-FAC'IUBING COMPANY, OF NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE.

ADJUSTABLE BED.

Application filed June 14,

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, JOHN R. STARK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Nashville, in the county of Davidson and State of Tennessee,have invented certain new and useful improvements in Adjustable Beds, ofwhich the following is a specification.

, This'invention relates to adjustable beds and has for its object theprovision of simple and eflicient means whereby the sections of the bedmay be easily raised and lowered and effectually held in the position towhich they maybe adjusted. The invention relates particularly toadjustable beds of that type in which the bed bottom comprises head,foot and seat sections which may be pivotally adj usted relative to eachother and provides means whereby the foot and. seat sections maybelocked together sofas to extend in a single plane or the foot sectionmay be permitted to swing pivotally aboutthe end of the seat section.and depend below the normal plane oi the bed bottom.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in Which-Figure 1 is a side elevation of a bed embodying my improvements andshowing the several sections of the bed bottom arranged. in a horizontalplane to permit the use of the bed for sleeping;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the several sections adjusted to permitthe occupant to assume a somewhat reclined position with the knees bentand raised; V

Fig. 8 is a transverse section on the line 3-? of Fig.1;

lflig. l is an enlarged detail view of the raising and lowering means; 7

Fig. 5 is a similar view of one member of the housing;

Fig. 6 is a transverse section of said mecha nism;

6 Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of a portion er one of the sidebars of the bedstead frame.

In carrying out my invention, I employa bedstead comprisinga headsection 1, a foot section 2 and side bars 3 connected and secured tosaid head and-foot sections in any well-known manner. The side bars 3are preferably constructed of angle-iron, as shown most clearly in Fig.7, and near their rear or "foot ends the inwardly projecting webs of theside bars are cut away, as shown at 4. The gap thus produced in the sidebars Specification of Letters Patent.

isle. Serial no. 304,320.

is normally filled by the horizontalinwardlyf Patented Jung. 15,1920.

projecting: web 5 ofa track member which,

18 pivoted at 6 to the sidebar and consists of the said-horizontal web 5and a vertical web? fitting up against the outer face of the side bar. Awing screw or similar securing device 8 is carried by thetorward freeend oi? the said track member and is adapted to directly engage thehorizontal web of the side bar at the forward end of the gapi so. assecure the track member normallyiin raised'position.

The bed bottom comprises a head section9,

a section 10 and a foot sectionll,the

sections 9 and 10 being pivotallyjoined, as

indicated'at l2, and the sections, 10 and'll being similarly pivotallyjoined, as shown at lS, the pivot members in both instances beingconnected by an inverted transverse arched member 14 whereby the sidemembers of the several sections will be properly braced. The sectionsQ,10 and 11 each 0011- sists of side angle bars 15 and a woven springfabric 16 secured to and stretchedbetween the said side bars. section 11is free and is equipped with rollers (not shown) adapted to run upon thehorizontal webs of the side bars and the track members 5 so that if thesaid track members be in their normal. position, as shown in thedrawings, and the seat section 10 be swung upwardly, as indicated inFig. 2, about its pivotal connection with the head section 9, the footsection will assume an angular position relative to the seat section andits free foot extremity. will be supported by the side bars 3. If it bedesired to permit the occupant of the bed to sit up or it is desired topermit the occupants feet to assume a more pendent position the'holdingdevice 8 is released whereupon the track member will swing downwardly,as indicated by dotted lines in F ig. 2, and the 'foot section 11 maythen depend through the cut-away portions 4; ofthe side bars. It is tobe noted that the 100 tudinally of the bedstead frame cannot occur 105The foot end of the foot although they may be adjusted pivotally, as

indicated in Fig. 2. s

It is sometimes desirableto permit a patient to raise his feet withoutbending the knee, and, in this event, a latch 17,- pivotally 11o mountedupon the foot section is engaged head and seat sections and eachcomprising a over a studlS on the seat section so that said sectionswill be locked in alinement.

To raise or, lower the sections and adjust the bed to the comfort of thepatient orthe' convenience of attendants, I provide operat-1ng-;mechan1sm arrangedto act upon the rack 19 pivoted at its upper endto the respective section and:dependingfreely therefroinlthrough acasing 20 consisting-of mat- V prises aside web and edge flanges 26 ontheir inner faceswhich areadapted to abut, as shown in Flg. 6. Thecasing members are substantlally trlangularin form, one side of 7the-triangl'e-being arcuate so asto accommodateithe parts whileeconomizing in material,'andthe flanges on the straight sides of "thetriangle. or-edges of the casing are cut away toprovide slots 27 throughwhich the respective rack bars 19 may play. Onefof the casing membersisprovided atits upper 1 straight edge. on its outer side with laterallugs or flanges28'which are adapted to fit against the under side ofthesidebar of the 'bedstea d frame and receive fastening bolts or screwswhereby the casingwill be firmly secured in position. Each of the casingmembersis provided with an 'opening29 throughiwhich a shaft 30 mayextend and upon-the inner side of one casing member is a bossorprojection 31 which constitutes a hub bearing for the said shaft. Theshaft 80 extends entirely across the bed and has angular ends, asshownat32, whereby it may be engaged by an operating crank or other form ofturning tool A pinion 3 1- is secured upon the shaft 30 between thecasing members 2]. and 22 and is held in the central vertical plane ofthe casing by the boss or projection 31 and a coaoting boss orprojection.i85,asclearly shown in Fig. 6. This pinion meshes directlywith the rack bar'19, as shown' clearly in Fig. 4, and rotation ofthepinion will effectmovement of the rack bar as'will be readilyunderstood. The rack bar being pivoted at one end to the side ofthe-sectionwhich is to-be adjusted, it will assume. different angularpositions within the-casing and this niovement of the rack bar isaccommodatedby the slots 27 a'roller 36 being carried by a pin or stud37 in themeper angleor point of the casing to bear upon the straightsmooth edge of the rack bar and thereby hold it in engagement with thepinion-'34 in all of: its various angular positions. To lock the sectionin. a set position, I'employ a dog 38 which is pivotally mounted withinthe'casing and is equipped with a tooth 39 adapted toengage between twoadj acent teeth of the pinion 84:. The pivot 40 of this dog is threadedinto the same or otherwise secured thereto and extends transverselythrough one casing member, while its extremity is journaled in a socketinthe other casing member, as indicated at 41. The outer'portion of thepivot or pin 40 is bent to provide a crank or, handle 4-2 whereby thepin may be rocked and the dog consequently thrown into or out ofengagement with thepinion. A leaf spring 48 is secured at one endwithinthe casing and its free end engages a notch 44 in the dog, the relativepositions ofthe severalparts and the shape of the spring being suchthatthe spring will be under tension whether the dog be in or out ofengagement with the pinion and will tend to hold the dog in the positionin which it has been set. Upon referehceto'Fig. 5, it will be noted thatthe boss or projection 31 hastwo plane faces 45 topermit the rack bar 19to clear the boss in the 7 event that it shouldmove laterallywhenlconforming to the adjustment of the'parts.

Itisthought the operation of the device will be readilyiunderstood fromwhat has been said taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,but itmay benoted that when it is desired to raisea section of the bedbottom as, for instance, the head section 9, the handle member t2isswung in the proper direction to release the dog 38 from its engagementwith;the-pinion 34, after which the shaft'30 is rotated so that thepinion 34=will act upon the rack 19 to move the same upwardlyfandthereby raise the head section. When the section has been raised to thedesired position, the. dog is thrown into engagement with the pinion andwill effectually E; prevent retrograde movement of the rack'bar and thesection to which it is attached. It will be readily seen that myimproved mechanism is exceedingly simple, compact and inexpensive.It-will operate directly upon the section to be adjusted and does notrequire laborious strain in order to operate effectively andbydts usethe section which maybe raised will be firmly suported in the raisedpositionwithout the use of complicated, cumbersome, and expensiveinterlocking devices which ordinarily interfere with the free movementlof nurses or other attendants in the vicinity of the bed. f f

Having thus described; the invention,

side bars, a seat section pivotally attached to the frame, and a footsection pivot'ally connected with thelseat sectionand having one endfree and jarranged to}: ride upon the side bars of the frame and thesaid track members. r

2. In an adjustable bed, the combination of a frame, a bedbottom sectionpivotally connected with the frame, a casing secured to and dependingfrom the frame, said casing consisting of mating members securedtogether having two% straight converging edges and having axially alinedcentral openings and provided with elongated registering notches intheir top edges and in the straight edges convergingfto thei, top edges,a shaft rotatably 'mounted in the central openings of said members, apinion on said shaft within the casing, a rack bar pivoted to? the bedbottom section and depending therefrom through the notcheslin the casingmembers andmeshing with said piniont a roller mounted in the angleformed by the converging edges of the casing in fixed relatlon to thecasing and the pinion and bearing upon the rack bar in all angularposithe dog with its free end engaging the dog whereby to hold it eitherin or out of engagement with the pinion and means extending exteriorlyof the casing for moving the dog into or out of engagement with thepinion.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JOHN R. STARK. [1 s.]

